Dress of White
by Yuurichi
Summary: When Naruto falls in love with the young woman, Hinata Hyuuga, his entire outlook on life changes. Too bad she's already engaged to his old rival from high school. Will Naruto be able to win Hinata's heart before the big day? AU NaruXHina
1. Chapter 1

Title: Dress of White

Chapter One: _Reunion_

Rating: Teen (Mild language)

Timeline: AU

Disclaimer: Due to unforeseen circumstances, I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Naruto groans at the offensive blare of his alarm clock. He rolls over and swats at the annoyance until the trumpeting finally seizes. He waits for his ears to stop ringing before slipping out from under the comforter and shuffles across the room to the kitchen.

_The second I get the money, I'm buying a new mattress_, he thinks as he stifles a yawn. He stretches out his aching muscles and rifles through the cabinet next to the refrigerator.

As he pulls out a cup of instant ramen, a dog with reddish-brown fur pulls at his pant leg, growling hungrily. Naruto lowers his squinting eyes at the canine's blurry outline against the white tile flooring. He grunts and returns his attention to preparing his noodles, dragging the dog along with him to the sink.

"I'll feed you in a second, damn mutt." the blonde mumbles drowsily as he staggers towards the microwave. The dog snarls and pulls in the opposite direction in retaliation to his master's insult.

Naruto presses onward with all his might, only to lose his balance and topple onto the floor. The contents of his ramen splatters onto the tiles as the dog sits back and smiles in satisfaction. The young man sighs and sits up, betokening his canine companion with a glare.

This ritual occurs every morning before he leaves for work, and it always ends the same. He frequently leaves his apartment hungry and pissed off, but he keeps trying. He's convinced that one of these days, he'll be able to beat this dog at his own game.

Naruto rises to his feet and rummages through a cabinet beside the sink and pulls out a large bag of dog food. He walks into the empty space adjoining the kitchen, which currently serves as the demon spawn's living quarters.

This space would have been recognizable as a dining room, but he didn't exactly have a steady enough income to wager enough furniture to accommodate his studio apartment.

The blonde pours some of the Kibbles&Bits into a food dish, just barely able to fill it. He crushes the empty bag in his hands and tosses it into the trash.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to buy you some more on the way home, that is if I feel like it." Naruto snickers mockingly at his furry roommate as the dog glances up at him with malice in his eyes.

The blonde chuckles to himself and heads back to the kitchen to clean up the remains of his breakfast.

When he finishes, he walks back to the side of the room that housed his bed and checks the time. Naruto throws his head back and releases an exasperated sigh.

_I'm definitely in for an earful this morning_, he thinks as he peels off his pajama shirt, searches through his dresser drawer for a clean shirt, and slips in on over his spiky head of hair.

He grabs his keys, wallet, and cell phone off the dresser top and takes a moment to glance in the mirror as he considers to change out of his jeans. He shrugs and decides against it. He didn't exactly have a clean pair of pants to change into since his washing machine broke down.

It's not like anything of importance would happen today. Business is usually kind of slow during the morning hours.

He turns away from his reflection and heads for the door. On the way out, his dog runs up from behind him and sinks its teeth into his back side. The blonde yelps and jerks away as a surge of pain shoots up his spine.

Grimacing, he picks up his fallen wallet from the floor and hurries out the door in a huff, leaving the dog with more than just the bitter taste of denim in his mouth.

--

Naruto enters his place of business twenty minutes late and out of breath. His car broke down three blocks away and was forced to run the rest of the way.

An eerie silence settles over the building after the chime of the bell dissolves into the muted background of the city outside. He scans the perimeter in search for any sign of his boss.

Fortunately for Naruto, his boss is nowhere to be found.

Relieved, he makes his way to his work station behind the counter on the far-right side of the building. He eases onto his stool and searches for the morning's newspaper. He frowns when he can't find it. His boss usually left the newspaper out for him in the morning so he could read the comic strips.

Today, he was particularly anticipating his chance to read the funny pages. He was in need of a good laugh...

Suddenly, the door to the storage room on the opposite side of the store swings open as a thundering voice fills the space. Naruto shoots up in a panic and in his rush, topples off of the stool and onto the floor.

"You're late, Naruto!" the older man exclaims as he stomps over to the counter and greets his employee on the other side with a scowl.

"I'm sorry! My dog-- and then my car broke down--"

The older man raises a palm to silence the blonde, "And I'm guessing through all that chaos you forgot the keys to the store as well? I mean, you were suppose to open today after all."

Naruto's skin pales as he begins to pat down his pockets for the keys to the store. He chuckles weakly when he finds them to be missing, "Uh, busted?"

The older man releases an exasperated sigh and walks behind the counter, crossing his arms over his chest as he shakes his head at his employee. Sometimes, moments like these make him think he's too soft on the Uzumaki boy, but he couldn't help but to feel this way.

When the boy first came to him a few months ago with this job-crisis of his, Naruto seemed so desperate for work... Even with his job history, he couldn't turn the blonde away-- Technically, they were family after all.

"I wasn't even suppose to be here right now. I had a very important meeting with that publishing company I was telling you about the other day."

"You mean the one that wants to buy your novel--"

_"--if you can even call the smut you write that,"_

"It's going to be difficult to convince them to schedule another meeting with me..." his dark eyes shut tightly and the room settles into silence.

Naruto stares up into the olive-colored face of his superior, his heart heavy with guilt. He hadn't meant to destroy the man's dream of becoming an author, even if all he ever wrote was smut...

"Pervy Sage, I'm--" The blonde's apology is cut short when the man swats Naruto with the newspaper clutched in his fist.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that??"

"I'm sorry, Pervy--" the man lifts his arm in preparation for another swat, "Nevermind."

Jiraiya snorts and drops the newspaper into Naruto's lap, "Here. I saved the comics for you,"

Naruto beams up at the man and smooths out the crumpled paper on the floor. He commences to read the funny pages on his stomach with his head propped up in his hands.

Jiraiya tries to mute his hysterical laughter with his hands, but ends up failing each time he glances down at the blonde. He hurries back to the storage room to continue his laughing spree.

--

Within the next few hours, the store receives its first customers of the morning. The sound of the bell chiming as they enter draws Naruto's attention away from his comics.

He peers over the counter to see a woman pushing a stroller. Standing beside her, a heavy-set man. They both emit an air of familiarity to the blonde, but he overlooks this and resumes reading the newspaper.

"Remember," the woman says, "we're only here to pick up diapers, so stay out of the junk food aisles."

The man grumbles something unpleasant under his breath and rambles down the aisles for the baby supplies with his wife and child in tow.

After awhile of listening to wandering footfalls, Naruto clears his throat and states the location of the diapers. His presence unknown to the couple, gasp at the sudden sound of his voice. They share a few hushed words and garner their groceries.

Naruto finishes reading the comics a moment before the couple and their child approach the register. He stows the newspaper on a shelf behind the counter and eases himself onto his stool.

"No wonder that voice sounded so familiar!"

Naruto looks up from the register and his jaw drops in shock. He rubs his eyes and blinks a few times to assure himself that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him.

"Choji? _Ino_??"

Ino shrugs and dismisses Naruto's reaction with a wave of her hand, "I was certain we'd stop getting these kind of reactions after the first two years."

The blonde leans forward to get a better view of the small bundle of life inside the stroller. She smiles and giggles as her big, bright blue eyes gleam radiantly under the fluorescent lighting above them. She babbles incoherently at Naruto, tugging at the pink bow in her golden curls. He grins at her cute attempt of speech and returns his attention to the child's parents.

"Two years, huh? I guess I didn't get the memo..." he chuckles awkwardly as he finishes ringing up their items.

Choji pulls out his wallet as the total amount flashes up on the small screen on the register, "Sorry about that. I would've sent you an invitation but I couldn't get ahold of your mailing address."

_That's probably because I didn't have one_, Naruto retorts under his breath as he hands the bag of groceries to Choji. He places it in the undercarriage of the stroller and leans against the counter. He opens his mouth to begin a new topic, but his wife beats him to it.

"Naruto, aren't you still dating Sakura? When do you plan on tying the knot already?" Ino gossips, her lips turn up into an expectant grin as she waits for the blonde male's answer.

"...We dated sparsely during college, but it didn't take long for us to break up. We... just felt it was better to remain friends." Naruto confesses reluctantly as Ino snickers in amusement.

"It's pathetic how Billboard Brow couldn't even bag the knucklehead!"

Naruto frowns at her comment, the words having more of an impact on him than she probably had realized. She quickly raises a hand to her mouth in regret upon noticing his expression.

Choji takes Ino's arm in one hand and grabs the handle to the stroller with the other, "Don't mind her, Naruto. She's always been that way." he consoles his friend on the other side of the register as he smiles jokingly.

The corner of Naruto's mouth turns up into a slight smile but it quickly fades, "Um, yeah,"

"Anyway, we've got to get going. Nice seeing you again."

Naruto waves in silence, his disgust in himself too great for him to speak as the family of three leave the store. He sighs and buries his face in his palm, _After college, all of the others were able to find happiness. What happened to me?_

The storage room door opens again and Jiraiya steps out to check on his employee. He approaches the counter and leans his arms against it, catching a glimpse of the family through the bay windows at the front of the store, "Old friends of yours?"

Naruto frowns and turns away from the older man's gaze, embarrassed to be seen in his vulnerable state. He takes a moment to gather himself and nods.

Jiraiya sighs, his eyes softening to the noticeable sadness on Naruto's face, "What's eatin' you, Naruto?"

"It's nothing," he lies.

Jiraiya begins to repeat his question, but is interrupted when the front door of the store opens again. A woman walks through the doorway, her movements timid and ungainly.

The two men turn their attention to the woman. Her cheeks tint pink, feeling their gazes bore through her. She lowers her eyes to her sandals, her long dark hair hiding her blushing face.

"Ma'am? Is there anything we can help you with?" asks Jiraiya, taking his time to oogle the woman's figure as she turns to face them. He attempts to mask the lust in his eyes by smiling politely at the woman, but Naruto elbows his boss, seeing through Jiraiya's innocent facade.

The woman stares at them from under her long, thick lashes and fiddles with her fingers, "Oh, um... I-I'm just l-looking..."

Jiraiya rubs his sore arm and shoots a glare at his employee, "Well, just let us know if you need any help." The woman nods and disappears down one of the aisles as Naruto turns to face Jiraiya.

"Pervert."

"What?? I didn't do anything!"

"So you're a pervert _and_ a liar..."

Jiraiya smacks the blonde upside the head, his forehead creasing as he frowns, "You aren't doing much better, Slacker."

Naruto trails his hand over the sore spot on the back of his head, wishing away the knot that would surely form there. He groans and shuffles over to the back of the store where the ice-packs were kept.

On the way there, he bumps into the young woman as she rounds the corner. The vegetables she had gathered drop from her grip from the impact.

The woman scrambles to pick up the fallen goods, "I'm so s-sorry! P-please forgive me! I didn't see you t-there!" she apologizes frantically as she picks up a plastic bag from the floor and lowers a handful of vegetables inside.

Naruto stoops down to assist her, a warm smile gracing his lips. She blushes at the sight and averts her gaze to the carrot in her hand, "It's my fault, so don't worry about it. I shouldn't have come storming down the aisles like that."

"I-I probably should have been paying more attention to where I was going..." she mumbles, still feeling guilty about the incident. She turns the carrot over and over in her palm, trying her best to keep her focus off the brilliant smile of the blonde.

Naruto watches her for a moment. Her mannerisms arousing a hint of familiarity within him, but he couldn't, for the life of him, remember where exactly he's seen this woman before.

He clears his throat to break the silence that had settled between them, "Um, I'm Naruto bytheway." He extends his hand out to her and she hesitantly returns the favor.

"I-I know who you are..." she announces, her eyes drooping slightly at the thought of Naruto forgetting who she was.

Naruto blushes in embarrassment. He pulls back his hand from her grip and scratches the back of his head. "Damn, I feel like such an ass. Where exactly do you know me from?"

The woman places the bag of recovered vegetables on her lap, holding it close to her body as she replies, "We didn't talk that much back then, but we had the same gym class in high school."

Naruto's eyes widen as memories of his high school years flood his mind.

"Yeah, I remember now. You were the quiet one... Hinata, right?"

Hinata smiles weakly as another blush rises to her cheeks. She nods and lowers her eyes to her bag of vegetation.

_She hasn't changed much from our days at Konoha High_, Naruto thinks to himself as a small grin ascends his lips.

"Naruto! Stop flirting with the customer and do your job! I'm not paying you to sit on your ass!" Jiraiya scolds from the mouth of the aisle.

The blonde turns and glowers at the older man, "Pull the pole out of your ass and calm down!"

Jiraiya scowls and charges down the aisle, digging his heel into the back of Naruto's head as he forces his face into the floor.

Hinata jumps at the brutality of the attack, her cream-colored eyes wide in shock. "A-are you sure you should be doing that? Y-you could really h-hurt him." she stutters timidly as she pulls her bag of groceries into her chest.

"Listen to her! Listen to her!" the blonde pleads, his eyes watering from the pain.

Jiraiya grunts and reluctantly eases his foot from Naruto's head. He straightens the collar on his shirt and bows graciously at Hinata, "I'm sorry you had to witness that, my fair lady. Please forgive me."

Naruto pouts as he sits up. He glares up at his superior, disdain evident in his eyes. "Whose the one flirting now?"

Jiraiya waves off his employee's comment and takes his leave to the storage room. Once his boss is out of sight, Naruto rises to his feet and dusts himself off.

"A-are you alright?" Hinata asks.

"Yeah, I'm kinda use to it by now though." Naruto chuckles, a reassuring smile easing onto his lips as he extends his hand out to help her up. She takes his hand and in one fluid movement, he pulls her up off the floor. "Well, if that's everything, I'd be happy to take care of those groceries for you."

"Oh. Um, thank you." Hinata says as Naruto turns to leave for the register. As he walks away, Hinata can't help but giggle to herself while she follows him to the counter. The blonde's brow furrows, unable to figure out why everyone has been laughing at him today.

He slides onto the stool behind the counter and rings up the bag of vegetables. She pays her tab and grabs her groceries. She makes a move to leave when Naruto grips her pale, slender arm.

"I just really want to apologize for not recognizing you earlier. To make it up to you, how about we go out for some lunch or something?"

Hinata lowers her head, considering the blonde's offer. She hesitates to answer at first but finally comes to a decision, "I-I guess it'd be alright." she replies, her eyes connecting with Naruto's through her lashes.

He releases his held breath and smiles brightly as the young woman waves and exits the shop. Shock washes over him as he realises the sense of relief that came over him from Hinata's answer.

Jiraiya emerges from the storage room once again with his apron slung over his arm, "Do you want to go grab a bite to eat?" he asks as he approaches the counter.

Naruto hops down from his seat and hoists himself over the counter, "Yeah! I'm starving!"

"How about we try that new curry shop down the street? I heard that they're pretty good."

"But I want to go to Ichiraku's!"

The older man hangs his apron up on a hook and ruffles the whining blonde's hair, "And that's why you're as short as you are now." he says jokingly.

Naruto slaps the man's hand away and pulls off his apron, slinging it onto the counter, "Fine, we'll go to the fucking curry shop..." he grumbles as he storms over to the front door.

Jiraiya erupts into laughter once again, his eyes tearing up from its intensity. Naruto spins around in irritation, "You might want to bring your apron!" the older man wheezes between spurts of laughter.

"What the hell is so funny??" exclaims the blonde as he throws his hands up over his head.

"Are you serious?? You can't tell??"

"Tell _what_??"

Jiraiya gestures toward the bathroom as he continues to laugh at the blonde. Naruto glares at the man and walks into the dimly lit bathroom at the back of the store, but Jiraiya's laughter still manages to penetrate through the closed door.

Naruto examines himself carefully in the full-length mirror in the unisex bathroom. Finding nothing wrong with the front of his body, he turns around to examine his back side.

His face pales when he spots the missing jean pocket which reveals to the world the singing frogs on his boxer shorts.

"Dammit, Kyuubi!!"


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Dress of White 

Chapter Two: _Disbelief _

Rating: Teen (Mild language)

Timeline: AU

Disclaimer: Due to unforeseen circumstances, I do not own Naruto.

* * *

It takes a heated exchange of threats and obscenities to coax Naruto into the Curry of Life shop.

Other than his distaste for anything that isn't ramen, the gaping hole in the back of Naruto's jeans fuel his refusal of entry.

The only thing able enough to counter the young man's stubbornness are the many eyes staring at the two feuding men from the streets and from within the shop.

Naruto trudges through the doorway with his head low to keep from having to make eye contact with any of the remaining prospectors to the scene he had help cause.

Jiraiya chuckles and smacks his palm into the center of the blonde's back, "With that cool breeze you have there, you shouldn't be in such a bad mood."

The young blonde's frown intensifies at the older man's comment, "Yeah, yeah. Very funny,"

Jiraiya stoops down and whispers into Naruto's ear, "Lighten up. It's not even that noticeable."

The Uzumaki boy scoffs and smooths out the apron around his waist to make sure it completely covers the hole in the back of his pants,_ I can't believe I'm doing this_--

"--I look like an idiot!"

The young man's boss sighs and leads the way to a small table close to the entrance in case Naruto suddenly attempts to escape, his departure would be slightly less noticeable.

Jiraiya just couldn't overlook the boy's lack of stealth...

Soon after taking their seats, a man around Naruto's age approaches the table with an apron adorning the front of his body and a stack of menus under his arm.

A friendly smile lights up his face as he pulls out a pencil from behind his ear, "Hi, and welcome to the Curry of Life. My name is Karashi and I'll be your waiter this afternoon," he places two menus on the tabletop, "Can I get you anything to drink?"

Naruto opens the menu and scans through the lists of names occupying its pages, "_Who knew there were so many different kinds of curry_?"

He finally flips to the beverage page and briefly looks over the list, "Uh, I guess I'll have water for right now."

Jiraiya lowers his menu to the table, "I'll have a bottle of your finest sake, please."

Karashi nods and scribbles in his notepad, "I'll be back in a moment."

The older man waits for their waiter to leave before leaning forward against the table, "You're first time in an actual restaurant in _years_ and you get _water_? Where's your sense of adventure?"

Naruto's brow furrows as he crosses his arms over his chest, "The idea of getting drunk in the middle of the afternoon doesn't seem too appealing to me, that's all..."

Jiraiya shrugs his shoulders and leans back in his chair, "Hey, suit yourself."

The blonde rolls his eyes and lays his head down on the white linen table cloth. He closes his eyes tightly, tuning out the clatter of dishes and the voices around him as he remembers the young girl from that morning,

_Hinata_--

"I'm back!" Karashi chirps, the sudden sound of his voice startling Naruto into an upright position. As he sits up, he knocks over a small container of chili powder.

He looks up at Karashi and Jiraiya, but neither of them had noticed this blunder. Naruto nonchalantly uses his menu to sweep up the powder into his palm, absent-mindedly kicking up a red cloud into the air.

After the young waiter hands the older man his beverage, he leans forward to place Naruto's glass of water on the table. The harsh scent of the chili powder fills his nostril and he tries desperately to keep himself from sneezing. Unfortunately, he fails...

Miserably.

The glass of ice cold water comes tumbling down onto the blonde's head, completely soaking through his shirt. Karashi frantically circles the table to pick up the stray cubes of ice, but trips.

Luckily, the woman sitting at the table behind them breaks his fall with her face.

She pushes Karashi away and stands to her feet, her eyes burning with rage, "This is the last time I come here again!" she growls, adjusting the now lop-sided buns on either side of her head as she storms out of the restaurant.

Karashi shuffles back over to Naruto and Jiraiya's table, his cheeks red as the wet pile of chili powder on the menu in the blonde's lap. He clears his throat as a way of dismissing the chaos that had now subsided, "I'll be back with a fresh glass for you, Sir."

Naruto tosses the stained menu on the tray in Karashi's shaky hands, "I'll need a new menu too, if you don't mind."

Karashi glances down at the pile of powder on the menu quizzically and then at Naruto before heading back to the kitchen.

"What happened to the menu you just had?" asks Jiraiya, taking a sip of his sake as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred.

Naruto shrugs, "Nothing that needs explaining," Jiraiya lowers the glass of sake from his lips and starts to say something else, but Naruto stands up, "I'm going to the bathroom to wring out my shirt!"

The young blonde struggles as he hurries down the narrow aisles between the tables, _How the hell does that Karashi kid do this?? _

Too occupied with his thoughts to notice the large, pink handbag in the middle of the pathway, he stumbles forward and trips.

His face connects with the tile as the owner of the handbag leans into the aisle to tend to her bag, "Hey! Watch where you're steppin'! I have very important stuff in there!"

Naruto groans and staggers to his feet as he rubs the red patch on his forehead, "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

The woman looks up from her bag to snap a bitter reply, but her readied caustic responce dissipates into a soft tremor, "N-Naruto? Is that you?"

He pauses, the sound of the woman's voice finally registering inside his head as he recognizes her head of pink hair, "Sakura?"

She chuckles awkwardly and removes her bag from her lap, standing from her chair to greet her ex-boyfriend, "I didn't expect to run into you today..."

"Yeah, me neither..." Naruto agrees as he rubs the back of his moistened neck. He grimaces and wipes away the water on his pant leg.

Sakura lowers her head to her shoes as their conversation enters a long pause. She frowns at how awkward their encounters have become since the break-up in college.

She inhales sharply and raises her head, "Do you want to sit with me for awhile? I'd like to catch up if you don't mind?"

He forces himself to smile, but it fades quickly as he gives into the pink haired woman's pleading gaze, "Sure, I guess I can spare a few moments."

Sakura's eyes brighten, which reflect a glow across her features, "Great! Let's begin with what you've been up to since college."

The young man cringes and sinks into the seat across from his ex-girlfriend, "Oh, you know... stuff."

Sakura frowns and lowers herself into her chair, "I can tell when you're lying, you know."

Naruto sighs, _Are_ _the apron and nametag not obvious enough signs as to what I've been doing_?

He lowers his head to the medical research papers spread over the table, trying desperately to find something to change the subject, "So, I'm guessing you've gotten into medicine. How's that been going for ya?"

"Oh," Sakura's cheeks tint pink as she stares down at the paperwork in front of her, "I've been working on becoming a resident at the infirmary. I come here to study sometimes."

"Hm," Naruto nods slowly.

"What? Is there something wrong with that?" Sakura brow furrows as she pounds her fist into the palm of her hand.

The young man flinches at the sound of her knuckles cracking and clears his throat, "N-no, I'm proud of you, S-sakura."

"Thanks," Her expression softens drastically as a smile ascend upon her lips.

"Have you met up with anyone else from school besides me?" Naruto asks, making sure to keep the conversation as far away from his personal life as possible.

Sakura fidgets, "Well, um, not really... Except for this _one_ guy..."

"Who?"

She seems to struggle with her next words for a moment, but after awhile she finally murmurs a response, "Nm,"

Naruto raises an eyebrow, "What?"

His ex sighs and looks up from her bag, "His name is--"

"Sakura, my love!" an overly-enthusiastic voice exclaims from the doorway.

Naruto sinks even farther into his chair at the familiar sound, his face loosing all of its color. He didn't have to turn around to figure out who had just entered the curry shop.

A man sporting green tights and orange leg warmers struts down the aisle leading to the table Sakura and Naruto occupy. The pink haired woman rises to greet the newcomer with a kiss, which Naruto doesn't notice because of the daze that now grips him.

"Naruto! I see you have been keeping my dear Sakura company while I was away preforming my duties at the dojo! I am very grateful!" the man says, his arm hanging from Sakura's shoulder as his lips curl up into a broad grin.

The blonde slowly looks up at the couple, his expression completely blank, _B-Bushy Brow_?? _She's dating Bushy Brow_?? _I can't believe this_--

"When the fuck did this happen??"

Sakura wrings her hands together nervously, "Might Guy set up a blind date for us, and I surprisingly had a good time..."

"And I have never been happier!" Lee chimes in, his teeth gleaming brightly as he smiles again.

Naruto buries his face in his hands, _I think I'm gonna puke_...

"I knew you'd react this way. You're not over the break up yet, are you?" Sakura deduces, crossing her arms over her chest as she shakes her head.

"You are sooo full of yourself!! Do you really think I care??"

"Well, you sure as hell act like you care!!"

At this point, Naruto and Sakura begin a shouting match between each other with poor Rock Lee trapped in the middle of it all. He tries his best to calm the situation down with soothing words, but nothing seems to get through to the feuding ex's.

"Certainly, you have met someone yourself, Naruto!" Lee interjects, shouting over their argument.

Naruto freezes in mid-sentence as he settles back down into his chair as he contemplates over Lee's statement. He hesitantly looks up from his hands in his lap. His voice a low hum compared to the drone of the air conditioner overhead, "What can you tell me about Hinata Hyuuga?"

Rock Lee and Sakura exchange sidelong glances. They don't reply to the blonde's question at first, but instead quietly whisper to one another. Naruto clears his throat and their attention refocuses on him.

Sakura's eyebrows arch in curiosity, "You're interested in _her_?? As far as I could tell, you hardly uttered one word to the girl in school!"

"Well, I wouldn't say that I'm _interested_ in her per say..." Naruto corrects, a pink tint rising to his cheeks as he speaks.

"Either way, are you sure you want to get involved with her?" asks Sakura, her concern apparent in her trembling voice.

"Is there something I should know about Hinata that you aren't telling me?" the blonde asks, his expression contorting into a scowl.

Lee lowers his head to conceal his frown, "The thing about Hinata is that she is--"

"Naruto! Git yer ass over here! We're headin' back to da store!" Jiraiya slurs loudly from across the restaurant as he attempts to steady his swaying body by hanging onto the back of his chair.

The blonde turns in his seat to face the man and shakes his head--

_Drunken bastard_, he stands up and begins the trek back to the grocery store on his own without betokening either Lee, Sakura, or his boss with a second glance before slamming the front door shut behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: _Dress of White_

Chapter Three: _Second Encounter_

Rating: Teen (Mild language)

Timeline: AU

Disclaimer: Due to unforeseen circumstances, I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Naruto finishes his shift at work and begins setting up the store for his departure. This usually would be Jiraiya's job, but seeing as how the man still hasn't yet come down from his drunken state, Naruto felt it was better to do it himself.

The blonde grabs a large bag of Kibbles&Bits for Kyuubi before heading into the storage room to retrieve Jiraiya, "Come on, Pervy Sage. I'm closing up shop, so you have to go."

The older man lifts his head up from the desk in the back of the room and turns to face his employee. His eyes just dark, hazy orbs on his face, "I can leave whenever I fuckin' feel like it! It's my damn store!"

Naruto rolls his eyes, "I can't set the alarm with you inside. You know what happened last time, don't you?" he reasons as he approaches the desk of his drunken guardian and employer.

He pats Jiraiya on the shoulder with a firm hand as if dealing with a child. The older man scowls and slaps the blonde's hand away. "Fine, but I'm drivin' myself. I don't want ya fuckin' my car." Jiraiya grunts, earning himself a frown from the blonde.

"Well, I wouldn't be driving your car! I have my own--" He pauses for a moment, remembering that his car broke down on the way to work that morning. It must have been towed into the pound by now, "--How about I just hail you a cab?"

"I'm not payin' for it." the older man announces as he staggers to his feet.

Of course not, he probably spent his money on all that sake he choked down, Naruto thinks as he leads Jiraiya through the store and out the front door. He locks the entrance door behind them and stands out on the curb to wait for a cab to drive by.

After awhile, he's able to flag one down and helps his boss into the back seat. Naruto gives the driver directions to Jiraiya's townhouse and hands him some cash.

He waits for the car to disappear from his sight before he begins his long walk home, _Why the hell does that man have to be such an annoying drunk?_

---

When Naruto enters his apartment, he is greeted with a smug grin from his canine companion. The blonde frowns and drags the bag of dog food into the kitchen to refill Kyuubi's food dish. He hoists the bag onto the counter, then begins to remove the apron from around his waist.

He shakes his head as he tosses the apron onto the counter while glaring at the snickering dog before him, "I don't even know why I put up with you."

Kyuubi barks and bares his white fangs at the blonde. The young man rolls his eyes and sluggishly makes his way to the bathroom right off the dining room for a much needed shower.

After fifteen minutes of drenching himself with cold water, he changes into his pajamas and eases himself into bed. Kyuubi bounds across the room and catapults himself onto the mattress, landing on Naruto's chest.

He gasps for air and rolls over onto his side as the dog makes himself comfortable at the foot of his bed. Naruto props his head up in his hand after catching his breath and stares down at the ball of reddish-brown fur curled up at his feet. Kyuubi raises an eyebrow as if to ask, What's wrong now?

"I ran into some old friends from school today. You wouldn't believe the kind of shit that's happened since I left. Like, Choji and Ino apparently got married and had a kid and Sakura is dating Bushy Brow--"

Kyuubi snorts and covers his snout with his paw, which causes Naruto to pause. He frowns and nudges the dog with his foot, "I try to have a decent conversation with you and this is how you act?"

The fox-like hound grunts and sits up, his ears jumping up from their resting position. Naruto prepares to continue but Kyuubi's head droops down as if pretending to fall asleep. The blonde shakes his head and leans back against the pillow behind him, "Forget it,"

Noticing the troubled look in Naruto's eyes, Kyuubi scoots closes to the blonde and lays his head in the man's lap. Which is something he hasn't done since he was a puppy, but even back then he was up to no good.

"I also ran into Hinata. I know I didn't talk to her all that much during school, but when I saw her today, I got this weird," he pauses to think of a suitable word to express the emotions that overcame him earlier that day. Without any luck, he continues, "What do you think it means?"

Naruto glances down into the eyes of his canine companion, who shrugs with uncertainty, "Right, I forgot you were a dog."

The blonde turns his head to the alarm clock at his bedside and stares at the neon green numbers shining back at him.

7:15 p.m.

He reaches over and turns off the alarm for the next morning, overjoyed by the fact tomorrow is his day off. Unfortunately, he'll have to spend most of it at the compound across town trying to get his car back...

---

Naruto's eyes flutter open just as the clock strikes 12:32 p.m. The uncovered windows adoring the width of the wall behind him allow sunlight to flow in and nearly blind the blonde. He rubs his eyes and slowly crawls out of bed, the sound of claws against wood urging him to move faster.

Kyuubi barks as Naruto shuffles into a pair of slippers, "Why can't you learn to work the toilet, huh?"

At this remark, Kyuubi barks again, his tone aggravated and angry. Naruto grabs a plastic bag and opens the door, following the dog out through the back of the apartment building and into the small, downtrodden courtyard.

When they return, he washes his hands and searches for some breakfast. He opens the cabinet doors, only to find them without his favorite dish. He frowns, gripping his stomach as it cries out in hunger.

_Damn..._

Left without his usual meal, he decides to get dressed instead. He pulls open his dresser drawer to find most of them to be empty. He takes out the few articles of clean clothing inside and slips them on, returning to the kitchen to grab a trash bag to carry his dirty laundry in.

A trip to the laundry mat is definitely called for, but first on his list of things to do today is to get his car out of the pound before the _usual guy _finds out his car has been towed again. This was the second time this month and he hasn't payed his fine from his first offense yet.

Naruto drops the bag beside the door and grabs his keys before heading out. On his way down the hallway, he bumps into his landlord.

Although she's as old as dirt, there isn't one wrinkle visible on her skin. No gray hairs on her head or any other sign of aging. The fact that Naruto had to stand on tip toe to meet her gaze didn't compare to how intimidating her smoldering eyes and incredible strength.

"Uzumaki! I need a word with you!" she snaps, her face fixated into her usual scowl. The diamond tattoo on the bridge of her nose pushing inwards towards itself.

"Hey, Grandma. I'd love to stand around and chitchat with you, but I kinda need to get my car from the pound, so--"

Naruto attempts to slip past the woman, but she blocks his path by extending her leg. The scowl on her face increases in intensity, causing the blonde to flinch and stumble backwards.

"Don't give me any excuses, Uzumaki! I'm really not in the mood for your bull shit today!" the woman scolds, leaning forward into the blonde's withering frame to further express her anger.

Naruto swallows hard before uttering his reply, his voice small and shaky. "If this is about the delay on this month's rent, I'm so sorry! I'm trying my best to get the money! I've even been working extra shifts at work! Please don't evict me!!"

The deep blue pools of his eyes glisten under the dim fluorescent lighting in the narrow hallway from the tears threatening to overflow.

Suddenly, the fiery depths of Hell raging within the woman's stare begin to cool. She sighs and raises a hand to her face to brush back her dirty blonde bangs. Her eyes settle on the spiky-headed blonde standing in front of her again, then she shakes her head.

"You have a week from now to get that rent money before I kick your ass out of here, you hear me??" she snaps as a grin spreads across Naruto's face.

"Thanks for understanding," he says over his shoulder as he runs down the hallway. He stops at the top of the stairs and turns around, shouting at the woman's back, "Do you think you can look after Kyuubi again today while I'm out?"

The woman stops and begins her usual response to this request, Why don't you look after your own damn dog, but none of it was heard over Naruto's shoes bounding hurriedly down the wooden steps.

"Great! You're the best, Grandma!"

---

Once outside, Naruto begins his voyage to the compound downtown. He walks about four blocks before he realizes covering the distance of a two hour drive on foot would be nearly impossible for him on an empty stomach.

He raises a hand to a passing yellow cab and it pulls up to the curb. He opens the back door and is about to climb in when he notices Hinata exiting the flower shop across the street.

The richness of the red roses against her pale skin made her seem so delicate. His heart flutters, a feeling the blonde hasn't ever experienced before in his life. He freezes, watching as she gracefully moves down the sidewalk and disappears around the corner.

"Hey, are you gettin' in or not? I don't have all day, ya know?" the cab driver snarls, his patience wearing thin.

Without a second thought, Naruto slams the car door shut and runs after the timid woman. The cab driver watches the scene through his rear view mirror and shakes his head, "Kids,"

"Hinata! Wait up, Hinata!" Naruto shouts, startling the young woman. She turns to face him, her expression softening into a small smile as she bows to greet him.

"H-hi, Naruto." she stammers as the blonde closes the distance between them, wheezing and sputtering the whole time. He rests his hands on his knees and leans forward, trying to regain his breath. Hinata raises her brow in concern, "Are you alright?"

"Fine. Just fine. You know, you walk pretty fast..."

"Oh. I'm sorry." she apologizes, although Naruto's breathless state was in no way her fault. The blonde smiles and shakes his head, pushing back the hair sticking to his forehead.

"Don't worry about it." Naruto says, nodding his head in the direction of the bouquet of red roses in her hands. "What're the flowers for, bytheway?"

Hinata lowers her head to the flowers, seeming to have forgotten she had them in her possession. Her eyes darken with sadness as she turns out to the bustling streets.

A void enters their conversation when the woman doesn't answer. Naruto rubs the back of his neck in discomfort, afraid he may have said the wrong thing. His lips part in preparation of a subject change, but Hinata manages a whisper, "T-they're for my father."

Naruto mouth snaps shut and his eyes lower to his worn sneakers, "I'm sorry."

Hinata shakes her head and looks over her shoulder at the man's remorseful face, "I-it's fine."

The blonde inhales sharply, an awkward silence engulfing the two of them. He frowns at his ability to screw up every encounter he's ever had with this woman. Wanting to refrain from embarrassing himself any further he says, "I guess I should leave you to him, huh?"

With a faint smile, Hinata replies, "Y-you're welcome to join me if you w-wish. I'd rather not go a-alone, to be h-honest."

---

Naruto and Hinata arrive at the infirmary after hailing a cab and approach the front desk. The woman behind the desk glances up from the paperwork accumulating on top of her workstation and smiles brightly as if the gloom of this place had no effect on her whatsoever.

But her smile quickly fades upon seeing Naruto. "What are you doing here??" the woman gasps, quickly rising to a standing position.

The blonde frowns, "I thought you said you were in training."

"I am! I'm just filling in for Shizune while she's on break, but that still doesn't answer my question!"

Hinata fiddles with the leaves on the bouquet in her hands and dares herself to speak up, "I guess you know each other than..."

Sakura focuses her angry gaze towards Hinata and snaps, "Unfortunately, I made the mistake of dating him!"

"If you consider what happened between us dating, you're even more twisted than you look!" Naruto barks, his face hardening into a scowl.

Startled by the blonde's outburst, Sakura lowers herself into her chair and stares down at the desktop. Their argument settles down into silence as Hinata's eyes switch back and forth between them.

Sakura slowly lifts her head up, making sure to refrain from connecting eyes with the fuming blonde, "How may I help you today?" she says, her voice just a whisper now.

"I-I'm here to see my father." Sakura shuffles through her textbooks and paperwork for the list of patiences.

Once she finally retrieves it, she flips through the pages attached to the clipboard. "Room B246. You shouldn't stay in there for too long though. He needs his rest."

Hinata nods and spares a glance in Naruto's direction, the scowl still fresh on his face. She takes a few hesitant steps forward and looks back at the blonde, noticing that he hasn't yet moved, "N-naruto. Are you c-coming?"

Sakura glances up from her textbook, unable to ignore the burning sensation for Naruto's glare any longer. Once their gazes connect, Naruto's scowl seems to intensity. Sakura jumps and quickly lowers her eyes to her book again.

Hinata inches over to the blonde's side and reaches her hand out to him. She pulls her hand back, afraid he might lash out at her if she dared to touch him. Swallowing the lump forming in the back of her throat, she grips his hand.

She closes her eyes, expecting him to start yelling. To her surprise, the scowl on his face melts, giving way to a mild blush. "Hinata," he breaths, the tension building in his chest quickly dissipating at the sight of the woman's troubled expression.

"L-let's go." she stresses, gently tugging on his arm in the direction of the elevator. Naruto glances back at Sakura, who stares dumbfounded at the both of them.

_It usually takes so much to calm Naruto down after being worked up like that. How could she do that by merely touching him? _Sakura thinks to herself as she watches the two of them disappear into the elevator.

---

"Um, well. S-she seemed nice..." Hinata stutters, breaking the silence between them. Naruto looks away from the dimly lit button panel on his side of the elevator long enough to flash a questioning gaze in the woman's direction.

"Yeah, she's about as nice as a Tasmanian Devil." he snorts, stuffing his fists into the depths of his pants pockets.

Hinata raises an eyebrow at the blonde's remark and decides against saying anything else about the strained relationship between him and Sakura. She looks up at the number display above the elevator doors and steps forward, "T-this is our floor."

Just then, the door slide open and she steps out into the blindingly white hallway. Naruto follows her to the end of the hall and into the room on the left side. He remains in the doorway, seeing no need to follow the woman to the bedside of a man he had no connections to.

Hinata removes the wilted flowers from the vase on the bedside table and replaces them with the bouquet in her hands. She stares down at the sleeping man, the pain in her eyes reflecting through her body. Her arms tremble as she smooths out the blankets covering her elderly father.

A groan escapes the man's throat as his eyes slowly open. He squints against the sunlight streaming in through the open window, "Neji, is that you?"

"N-no, Father. I-I'm sorry to disappoint you, but Neji hasn't yet come back from his business trip."

The man frowns and tilts his head in the direction of the window, "Then what are you doing here? You should be running the company. Can't you do anything right?"

"I-I came here to see about your condition, Father. It's what N-neji wanted me to do in his absence. He sends you his best wishes."

The old man turns his head towards Hinata again, his eyes as cold as ice, "I'm fine. If Neji were here, he'd be able to see that."

"B-but, Father--"

"If you don't start using that brain of yours soon, Neji _will_ be replacing you as CEO."

"Yes, I-I'm sorry."

Hinata's father closes his eyes and his daughter turns away, her eyes unreadable of any sort of emotion. She swiftly makes her way to the door and down the hall to the elevator. Naruto tries his best to catch up with her brisk footsteps.

"Hold up, Hinata! Does he always act that way to you??" he questions, catching up with the woman just as she steps into the elevator. She wrings her hands together as she stares down at her sandals.

After a moment or so, she gazes up at the concerned blonde. Forcing herself to smile, she replies, "I-it's fine, Naruto."

Although it wasn't his place to say, he refuses to let Hinata believe that the way her father treated her was in any way _fine_, "You shouldn't have to take that kind of shit from the likes of him."

"I-I appreciate you coming with me today. Is there a-anything I can do to repay you?" Hinata says, changing the subject abruptly.

Naruto raises a brow and stares at her a moment. The expression on her face pleading for him not to continue. He sighs and combs his fingers through his hair.

After a moment, he lifts his gaze towards her again and smiles, saying, "Well, how does lunch sound to you?"

---

After their meal together, Naruto and Hinata head for the compound two blocks away from the diner they ate at.

"You know you don't have to do this." Naruto reminds her as they cross the street.

"It's the least I can do besides, I have connections." Naruto spares her a questioning look, but says nothing as they enter the front door of the compound.

A bell chimes as the door swings open and the conversation between the two men at the desk pauses. One of them, a man dressed in police garb turns, his gaze hard and unfeeling.

Naruto frowns.

His worst nightmare coming to light right before his eyes. There's no way he'll be able to get out of this by just shedding a few tears like he usually does with his landlord.

This guy's harder than nails-- a suspected murderer at that. The only thing that kept him from serving life in the slammer was the lack of evidence connecting him to the brutal slaughter of a local family years ago.

"Hinata," his eyes narrow as his gaze shifts to the blonde, "Naruto."

"H-hello, Itachi. It's a s-surprise seeing you here." the woman greets as she bows graciously to the officer. His cold eyes remain fixated on the panicking blonde. Naruto swallows hard, rubbing the back of his neck as he chuckles silently to himself from discomfort.

The man behind the desk rises to his feet. A smirk eases onto his face when he catches sight of Naruto. His voice billows out through the foyer as he says, "So you finally came back to pay those dues, huh?"

Naruto's face pales instantly.

"Haha. You see--"

The smirk on the man's face quickly fades and transforms itself into a frown, "If that's the case than I'll just have to keep the car."

"But _Kisame_," Naruto steps forward, his expression pleading and sincere. He begins to bargain with the man, but decides against it. Feeling the intense stare of Itachi's dark eyes boring through him.

"I-I'll cover the payments if that's alright with you, Naruto..." Hinata announces modestly as she approaches Kisame's desk.

"Hinata, you don't have to--"

She turns, smiling over her shoulder as she pulls out her check book from her handbag, "It's n-nothing, really."

Itachi watches the two of them closely, his gaze suspecting and accusing. Naruto chews on his lower lip, backing out before he can screw himself over in front of an audience.

When Hinata finishes writing the check, she tears it from the check book and hands it to Kisame, who looks over the slip of paper. Upon seeing the amount of money being payed out, his eyes widen and his jaw drops.

"$_300_??"

Naruto bites down hard on his lip, his sharp canine teeth digging into the tender flesh of his lip. "What?? Hinata, are you crazy?? I only owe him $175!"

"Y-you can put the rest of the money on his tab, I g-guess." she says with a light chuckle as she replaces the little green book inside her bag.

Kisame glances over at Itachi with a puzzling look in his eyes before stepping out from behind the desk, "Uh, I'll bring the car around front."

Hinata approaches the stunned blonde, a hint of a smile still visible on her face. "Um, thanks." Naruto chuckles, his arms resting behind his head.

She nods and pushes her jet black hair behind her ear, which falls back into her face as she passes the blonde to get to the door, "I'll see you o-outside?" Naruto flashes her a smile and she disappears through the doorway.

The moment the door closes, Itachi stalks over towards the blonde and grips his shoulder tightly. The blonde flinches under the older man's grasp, but doesn't have much time for anymore of a reaction when Itachi jerks him backwards against the desk.

"What are you doing with her?" the man asks, his voice low and cool as usual.

"Huh?? What're you--"

"Don't give me your shit."

Naruto finds himself fumbling over his words, stunned by how threatening Itachi's words sounded even with his monotonous voice. "I-I seriously don't know what--"

"If I find out that you've done anything to her--"

Outside, a car horn blares loudly, interupting Itachi's threat. Naruto jerks away and quickly makes his way to the door, stopping to glance back at Itachi, whose eyes flash a deep crimson, if only for a moment.

Naruto shudders and pushes the door open as Kisame climbs out of a tow truck and unhooks an orange 2000 Ford Mustang from the back.

The peeling paint of the front bumper reveals the car's original color-- violet. Faded black flames stretch out across the passenger and driver's side doors, virtually camouflaging the dings and dents the vehicle has accumulated over the years.

"Here you go. Try to keep out of trouble this time, will you?" Kisame jokes, walking around the Mustang and climbing back into the tow truck.

Chuckling, Naruto pulls out a ring of keys from his pocket and says, "I'll do my best, Kisame."

The older man smiles, revealing his massive, shark-like teeth before pulling out and disappearing around a corner. Once the low rumbling of the truck fades into the distance, Naruto motions towards his car.

Hinata's eyes widen subtly and she takes a step back, shaking her head, "N-no! I couldn't possibly--"

"I'm not that bad of a driver, you know? Most of the dings were there before I even got my hands on it."

She stares down at her sandals again, seeming to be weighing out her options. After awhile, she lifts her eyes to meet the pools of blue in Naruto's and offers a small smile, "I guess I w-wouldn't mind a ride h-home."

"Cool," Naruto unlocks the car and hops into the driver's seat. He leans over to the passenger side and opens the door for Hinata. She hesitates to enter the vehicle and the blonde chuckles, "If you're that nervous about my driving skills, I could always let you drive."

Taking a deep breath, Hinata shuffles into the car and fastens her seat belt, "I-I couldn't do that even if I wanted to. I c-can't drive a stick..." she murmurs quietly.

"That's fine! I can't either!"

Hinata's grip on the door handle tightens as she stares wide-eyed at the smiling blonde beside her, "Uh, I-I hope you're joking about that..."

---

By the time Naruto pulls up in front of the large townhouse on Main House Drive, rain clouds begin to darken the sky. Naruto cuts off the engine and climbs out of the car while Hinata continues to cling to the passenger seat.

Grinning broadly, Naruto opens the door on her side of the car. Seeing her fearful expression, he chuckles and says, "My driving can't be all that bad, can it?"

"N-no, it's not that. I-I just didn't know a car could fishtail so u-uncontrollably before..." she whimpers, trying desperately to stabilize her shaking voice.

Naruto offers his hand and an apologetic smile to the frantic woman in an attempt to comfort her. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her, but he is known for his recklessness after all. Of course it'd translate into his driving as well.

"Sorry about that. I'll have to work on those sharp turns, I guess."

"Y-yeah," she chuckles timidly, taking the blonde's hand in both of her's. He smiles and helps Hinata out of the car. They turn to face the luxurious townhouse towering over them from the sidewalk. The lush, green grass and leafy trees decorating the front lawn putting to shame the neglected patch of dirt he knew as a courtyard at the apartment.

"Uh, so is this your place?" Naruto asks as he stares at what seemed like a mansion compared to his rundown apartment complex.

Hinata smiles and nods as she starts up the concrete steps that lead to the dark, wooden double doors of the townhouse. "I-I guess you can say that..." she replies, reaching into the canister hanging above the doorbell to retrieve today's mail. She clutches the bundle of mail into her chest and turns to face the blonde still standing at the base of the steps.

Their gazes meet and Naruto blushes, turning away before Hinata had a chance to notice. He coughs to clear his throat and fiddles with his car keys, "It was nice seeing you again, Hinata."

The woman smiles, "Y-yeah, I'll s-see later?" she asks, a sudden cool breeze sweeping away her small, fragile voice. Naruto barely hears her over the low rumbling of thunder.

He nods, "Sure, but you better get inside. It'll start raining soon."

Hinata hesitates to take a step back towards the double doors, holding Naruto's gaze for as long as she possibly could. Finally, she lowers her eyes to her handbag, rummaging around for her house keys. Unlocking the door, Hinata takes this opportunity to token the blonde with a final glance back. Their gazes meet once again, pink adoring both of their faces.

Naruto chuckles nervously, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and waving with the other. He slowly backs up, retreating back to his car. On his way, almost tripping over the curb, but saves himself by clinging to the rear bumper of the Mustang. Naruto plays off this mishap by flashing a broad grin and climbs into the front seat.

He starts the engine, waves, and makes a u-turn. He runs over the curb across the street from Hinata's house on his way out for the narrow cul-de-sac, evoking a smile from the woman as she watches his taillights disappear into the gray haze blanketing the horizon.

Once Naruto's Mustang was out of sight, Hinata enters her townhouse and settles down on the leather sectional in the living room. She sifts through the bundle of mail in her hands, tossing bills and spam on the seat beside her. The last letter in her hand causes her heart to stop. She quickly tears open the letter and reads it:

_Hinata, _

_You can expect me to be home within the next five days. The business meeting ran shorter than I expected. I'm sorry that I couldn't call and tell you this, but I can't get a signal here. _

_I hope you are well, and be sure to send my best wishes to your father. _

_Sincerely_--

Hinata lowers the letter to her lap, staring down at the small, handwritten script adorning the page. She sighs and turns her attention to a picture on the end table behind the sectional. She picks it up and stares at the photograph, her eyes glistening with tears. Her fingers gently trace the outline of the man cradling her in his arms.

She stops herself just as her fingertips graze his face and replaces the picture. She leans against the armrest of the sectional and gazes up at the vaulted ceiling with a heavy heart full of mixed emotions and doubt.

* * *

AN: Sorry for the delay. My schedule has been pretty hectic lately. I'll try my best to update quicker, Believe it! (Had too^_^) I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions about the story so far. Until next time!


	4. Chapter 4

Title: _Dress of White _

Chapter Four: _Dreamscape_

Rating: Teen (Mild language)

Timeline: AU

Disclaimer: Due to unforeseen circumstances, I do not own Naruto.

* * *

_He entered the cafeteria with a confident strut in his step and grin on his face. There was no doubt in his mind that today was the day everything would fall into place. The day everything would turn out right for once. The day-- _

_"I will finally ask Sakura out on a date!"_

_He approached her seat and suddenly froze at the sight of her. Ino turned her head and chuckled from amusement, this caused Sakura to look too out of curiously. She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, "Not this again. What is it this time, Naruto?" _

_The speech he spent the entire week putting together lost all meaning during the journey from his brain to his lips. Stammering like an idiot, he began to sweat bullets._

_The girls laughed and raised from their seats. "Come back when you learn how to use that mouth of yours!" Ino mocked as they readied themselves to leave. Just then, the heart throb of every sophomore girls' dreams appeared in the doorway._

_The room fell into a hushed silence and all at once his entire fandom swooned at the sight of him. Sakura reached into her purse and pulled out her compact to fix her make-up, but Ino snatched it up as if it was her own._

_"Sasuke's mine, Haruno-bitch!" she barked as she snapped the pastel pink compact shut. She glared at her best friend/rival._

_"Not even in your dreams, Yamanaka-whore!" Sakura stole back her compact and stuffed it back into her purse just as their beloved graced them with his presence. Both girls turned their attention to him without a moment's hesitation and smiled brightly._

_"Hi, Sasuke!" they chirped in unison as the young Uchiha stopped and glanced back at them. His eyes, brooding and cold, turned away as he continued on his way to his usual table in the back of the room with his hordes of squealing fangirls in tow._

_Naruto watched Sakura's back disappear into the crowd with anger set ablaze in his eyes, Dammit, Sasuke! I will not lose to you!_

---

_Four years later, during his freshman year of college he ran into Sakura on his way to his Literature class. He found her leaned against a wall in the main hallway, seeming to be looking for someone._

_Naruto glanced at his wristwatch. If he wasted anymore time, he'd be late to class for sure. Shrugging off the possible risk of being lectured by his professor, Kakashi Hatake, he rushed over to the woman._

_"Hey, Sakura. What're ya--" _

_She snapped her head in his direction and glared for a moment, but then her expression softened. Looking over his shoulder, she spotted Sasuke in the crowd and heading in their direction. Sakura smiled brightly and with an unseen mischievous gleam in her eyes, greeted the blonde with an affectionate embrace._

_Naruto blushed, overwhelmed by her sudden mood change. Of course, he wouldn't be the one to complain about it._

_"You know, Naruto," Sakura began as she took a step back, periodically checking Sasuke's location over the blonde's shoulder as she spoke, "there's something I've been meaning to ask you for awhile now..." _

_The blush on Naruto's face grews redder, his heartbeat faster, his eyes wider in anticipation of Sakura's next words. _

_This could be it! The day I've been waiting years for has finally come!_

_Sakura looked over Naruto's shoulder, but saw no trace of Sasuke. She turned and found him across the hall at the drinking fountain. She cursed under her breath and waited for him to look back before she pounced on Naruto for a lip-lock._

_Naruto's heart fluttered and his tense muscles relaxed as he eased into the unexpected kiss. Sakura snuck a peek in Sasuke's direction and their eyes met for an instant, then he resumed his walk to class._

_Sakura broke the kiss with Naruto, a triumphant grin on her face as she took his hand in her's and chased after the Uchiha._

_"C'mon, Naruto! Walk me to class!" _

_The blonde followed her, his usual smile adorning his lips as they walked shoulder to shoulder with Sasuke. Naruto overlooked him, his happiness from achieving his goal too great._

However, it seemed to blind him from one of the most obvious snags adhering to his new found relationship with Sakura.

Her eyes.

Although he was always right in front of her, she never really saw him. Her eyes were always searching for Sasuke...

---

Suddenly the images fade to black and Naruto awakes from his slumber. A rush of anger flows through him, causing him to growl and throw a pillow into the darkness on the other side of the room.

He takes in a deep, ragged breath and buries his face in his hands. He shakes his head, willing away the memories of what used to be-- or better yet-- what he thought there was between him and Sakura.

He lifts his head up, his eyes connecting with those of Kyuubi.

Naruto extends a hand out to him, stroking the dog's head. Which is something of a rarity to happen, but he needed a distraction-- anything to get his mind off of his haunting past with Sakura.

"How about we go for a walk, huh?"

---

"Sakura, what is wrong?? Why are you so quiet??" Lee asks, even his concern full of enthusiasm. He presses the receiver of the phone into his ear as he awaits a response from the pink-haired woman on the other line.

She sighs and pulls her knees into her chest, a sudden wave of guilt washing over her. The scene in the hospital between her and Naruto clouding her mind and her thoughts.

There seemed to be nothing she could do to rid herself of the images of his pained expression or the rage boiling in his eyes.

"Then there was Hinata--" she absent-mindedly utters into the phone. A thought meant for herself more than Lee.

_--The one who was able to pull him from the fiery depth of fury with a single touch, the one replacing me in Naruto's heart... __The one that will inevitably end up breaking that very same heart more so than anyone else ever could--_

"What?? Who are you talking about, Sakura??" Lee asks, his voice shaky with worry.

Sakura chews at her lower lip, hesitant to speak again. On the other end of the line, Lee awaits an answer as he switches the phone from one ear to the other.

After awhile, he couldn't endure the dead silence between them any longer and he sighs in defeat, "It is okay if you do not wish to speak with me right now, but if you change your mind..." His voice trails off, but Sakura already knows how his last sentence will end--

_I'm here for you, Sakura-- Always. _

"Lee, I won't be at the usual meeting place tomorrow. There's something that I need to take care of." Sakura closes her phone, disconnecting the line. She stares out the window, uncertain of what lies ahead for her the upcoming day.

---

The sun begins to rise over the city of Konohagakure just as Naruto returns to his apartment building with Kyuubi tipping over the edge of the conscience world. He drags himself through the doorway and collapses onto the wood panel flooring from exhaustion.

Naruto stifles a yawn and checks the time. The neon green numbers on his alarm clock saying it's 7:25. He didn't have to be at work until nine, so he had some time to kill until then.

Glancing over at the bed, he shakes his head. Sleep was the last thing on his mind at the moment. The walk he had with Kyuubi did nothing to ease his mind. All he could do was brood over... well, everything!

He pushes his hair out of his face and picks up his car keys, _Maybe I could try the laundry mat again. Hopefully it'll be open... Unlike last time... _

As he turns to leave, he catches a glimpse of a pair of tired eyes staring at him from across the room. He stops and chances a glance back, jumping at the sight of the image studying him through the mirror.

Slowly approaching the dresser, he extends a hand out to his duplicate on the other side of the mirror. The glass, cool and smooth under his fingertips.

A gasp escapes his lips as his eyes adjust themselves to the image before him. The eyes of the unknown person in the mirror were swollen, red, and surrounded by dark rings. Broken down, weary, and unfamiliar is this man in the mirror.

As much as Naruto disproves of this fact, the man watching him from beyond the mirror is in fact, himself.

Grimacing, he storms off into the bathroom in an attempt to wash away this unfamiliar mask he had awakened with.

He pats his face dry, taking his time to allow the softness of the cloth to caress his fiery cheeks. Naruto lowers the washcloth onto the counter and leans against it for a better view of the person in the mirror.

Even with a different mirror, the reflection of the man remains. Those same tired eyes from before watching him from beyond the glass.

---

Sakura awakens for the third time during her slumber. Stifling a yawn, she slides out of bed and prepares herself for her mission. As she moves around her condo, her footfalls are hurried and purposeful as if she knew deep down what needed to be done today.

She stayed up most of the night, trying to figure out what it was she had to do. Unfortunately, her efforts were wasted. For the time being, she will just have to follow her gut until she stumbles over some kind of clue.

Once dressed, she grabs her keys and leaves her condo. She hurries through the parking lot and climbs into her lime green VW convertible, one of the few things she owns that isn't adorned in pink.

Inside, she contemplates where this mission will possibly lead her to and whether or not it will be able to calm her restless spirit.

Sakura slips the key into the ignition and turns it, causing the engine to hum to life. Sakura backs out of her parking space, pausing to check her rear-view mirror. In the mirror she catches a glimpse of her eyes, which to her surprise, shine vibrantly under the warm, golden rays of the rising sun despite her lack of sleep the night before.

She frowns and turns the mirror away, her displeasure for the woman looking back at her through the glass unknown to Sakura. She grunts and reaches out for the gear shift just as the car comes to a crashing halt.

The sound of twisting metal rips through her ears, she quickly unfastens her seat belt and looks out the back window to inspect the damage.

"Shit! I can't believe I just did that!"

Sakura climbs out of the car, slamming the door shut before walking around to the back of the car to get a better look at the wreckage. She hammers an angry fist into the thick, cement pillar threatening to tear the little Volkswagen Bug in two.

Blurting another stream of obscenities, Sakura climbs back into the car. She eases her foot onto the gas pedal, slowly pulling the back end of her Bug away from the merciless pillar. She cringes at the sound of her bumper falling away from the rest of the vehicle and onto the pavement.

---

Dragging the trash bag out from the backseat of his Mustang, he enters the laundry mat. He hoists the laundry bag into a cart and wheels it over to the closest washing machine.

He raises the lid, stuffs his clothes into the barrel, and pours the detergent in along with them. Upon closing the machine, he realizes he didn't have any money on him to start the wash cycle. Naruto reopens the washing machine and digs through all his pockets until he comes up with his wallet. He pulls out a five and heads over to a pair of old change machines, making sure to avoid the shoddy one sitting closest to the slot machine in the back.

"No! Not again! This game is fuckin' rigged and I can prove it!" exclaims a furious voice from the slot machine. Naruto sighs and scoops up the pile of quarters from the small cup protruding from the change machine, knowing exactly who the voice belongs to.

Peering around the corner, tosses a quarter at the back of a blonde woman's head, "Calm down, Grandma. The game isn't that serious..."

She whips her head around to face the offender with anger blazing in her eyes. Upon seeing Naruto, she relaxes... slightly. Tsunade crosses her arms as she turns completely around to face the young blonde with a frown weighting on her lips.

"If you want me to babysit that demon dog or your's again, you can forget it!"

Naruto smirks, _I'm pretty sure I could talk her into doing it again if I wanted to--_

"Don't worry, that's not why I'm here. Just doing laundry, so I have something decent to wear to work." Naruto says with a chuckle as he gestures towards his pajama pants and slippers.

Tsunade raises a quizzical eyebrow, "Why not use the machines at the apartment?"

The blonde scoffs and walks back over to his machine, the older woman following close behind him, "Those machines are a piece-of-shit and you know it."

Naruto begins feeding the washing machine quarters as Tsunade nods in agreement, "True. Mine broke down a week ago and I had to call in a repairman to fix them."

A quarter misses the slot and ricochets off the machine, hitting the floor and rolling away under the dryers. Naruto's jaw drops as he spins around towards the woman.

"Are you fuckin' serious?? I've been complaining to you about those damn machines for months and you haven't done shit about it!"

Tsunade ruffles his hair, adding more fuel to the fire roaring within his gut. She pulls him closer to her, draping an arm over his shoulder. Naruto fights against her, but nothing proves effective. He folds his arms over his chest and grunts, his surrender apparent by the pout on his face.

"Cool it, Hothead. I'll call in the repair guy tomorrow, just for you." she says, as if trying to console a toddler in the midst of a tantrum.

"Yeah, yeah. Don'tcha have residents to evict or something?" Naruto counters, shrugging off Tsunade's arm only because she allows him to withdraw from her grasp. She smirks mischievously and leans against a nearby machine as Naruto continues to feed quarters into his washer.

"That reminds me. You have your rent yet?"

Naruto freezes and swallows the lump forming in the back of his throat, "I thought I had more time!"

"The amount of time I give you depends on my mood. You keep cuttin' up like you just were and I'll have you packin' your shit so fast, your head'll spin!"

"Okay, I'm sorry. Damn, Grandma..."

The older woman slams a fist atop Naruto's spiky head in irritation, "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that? I'm not that old you know!"

_That's just what all that plastic surgery leads you to believe..._

---

Sakura comes to stop at a red light and glances out the drivers' side window to take in the scenery around her. Coincidentally, after about an hour of drive time, she ends up on Naruto's side of Konohagakure. She continues driving until her gut tells her to stop in front of a grocery store, Sannin Grocers. Sakura parks the battered Bug and climbs out of the car. She studies the exterior of the building, the place arousing an air of familiarity within her.

_Why did I have to come all the way out here? What could possibly be so important--_

The entrance door swings open and the chime of bells pull Sakura away from her thoughts. She takes a step back against the side doors of her Volkswagen as an older man emerges from the doorway.

"Welcome to my store! I'm happy to say that you, my fair lady, are the first customer of the day!" Jiraiya booms, a most perverse gleam in his eye as he secretly ogles the pink-haired woman.

"Sorry, but I'm not here to shop--"

Ignoring her attempt of protest, Jiraiya takes her by the arm and leads her inside the store, "Aw, don't be silly! Help yourself!"

Sakura frowns, being ignored was one of her biggest pet peeves and she wasn't about to take it from some random weirdo in a grocery store.

"Dammit! Listen to me!" she snaps, her hands clenching into tightly wound fists.

Jiraiya's eyes widen, taken aback by the young woman's sudden outburst. "Listening,"

Sakura takes in a deep breath and approaches the man, "Okay, well. I'm not exactly sure why I'm here, but there's something really important behind it all. I can just feel it!"

Jiraiya nods his head, holding his chin in his hand as he replies, "So. You need help figuring out what it is that you're looking for, right?"

"Do you think you could help me?" Sakura asks, an expectant look in her eyes.

Jiraiya shrugs and crosses his arms over his broad chest, "I usually charge for my services, but for you, my lady--"

"My name's Sakura, so quit calling me your lady!" she interjects, her frustration towards the flirtatious man blinding her from his hardened expression.

_Could this possibly be the same Sakura that Naruto told me about--_

Jiraiya quickly heads in the direction of the storage room with Sakura in tow. He picks up a random box of produce and opens it with the box cutter hanging from his belt. Picking up the box, he heads back to the front of the store to put the produce in it's designated aisle. Trying his best to busy himself.

"On, second thought. I have too much work to do here. I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

"What?? But you just said that you would! You can't just change your mind like that!" Sakura debates, stamping her fist on her narrow hips.

The entrance door opens again, this time a perplexed Naruto emerges from the doorway. Upon entering, he glances out into the street from the bay window at the Volkswagen parked at the curb, "Who's beat up Bug is sitting outside--"

He turns back around to face Jiraiya, but notices Sakura instead. He freezes and does a double take between the Bug and the fuming woman.

"Will you just drop it?? It's mine, okay??"

"What happened?? You get into a wreck or something?"

"Naruto! You idiot-- Didn't I just tell you to shuddup about that??"

The blonde brushes off her insult with a nervous chuckle and rubs the back of his neck. The last thing he needed was for Sakura-- of all people-- to show up at his workplace. His previous reasons for not wanting Sakura to know where he makes a living seem irrelevant now though. Since his walk last night, he made a promise to himself and he wasn't about to ruin it now just because she unexpectedly shows up at the store.

Naruto inhales sharply and approaches the counter, grabbing his apron from off the hook behind the register.

Jiraiya finally looks up from unloading his box and smirks at the blonde, "You're on time for once, Blondie!"

Naruto sweeps his index finger under his nose a few times and grins broadly, "Yeah, I know. It's a miracle, right?" he chuckles as Sakura stares at the blonde for a moment with wide eyes and a slacked jaw.

"You work here? Since when?? I've passed by this place many times on my way to the curry shop and--" Her voice trails off as Naruto gazes down at her, his eyes steely and cold for an instant. She blinks a few times, uncertain of what she just saw.

"Pervy Sage, did Hinata happen to drop by here before I arrived?" Naruto asks tentatively, ignoring Sakura's series of questions.

Sakura fixes her stern gaze upon the blonde, realizing what she came here to do.

"Naruto... about Hinata-- we really need to talk."

"Not this shit again--"

The woman cuts him off by raising her hand in the air. She grabs his wrist and pulls him into the storage room, out of earshot of Jiraiya, "Will you just listen to me for a second! I'm trying to help you!"

Naruto scoffs and jerks away from her, "Help me?? I seriously doubt that."

"If you continue on with this, you'll only wind up getting hurt!" Sakura reasons.

Naruto shakes his head and turns to leave, "I don't have to stand here and listen to this bull."

"It's not bull, Naruto! If you'd just listen to me you'd see that!" The pink haired woman grabs onto his shoulder and pulls him back, determined to make herself heard whether Naruto liked it or not.

"After the shit you've pulled in the past, it's hard to believe anything that comes out of your mouth now."

"Are you looking for an apology??" Sakura asks impatiently, "I'm sorry, okay??"

"What the hell was that suppose to be? Are you really expecting me to believe that you're sorry for what you did??" Naruto shoots back at her, his voice slowly climbing to a yell.

Sakura pauses, considering his words. Is it true that she really didn't have any remorse for what she did to Naruto in college?

_If anything, I'm sorry that it didn't work, but--_

"--I can't help the fact that I don't have the same feelings for you!"

"That's not even an issue anymore, Sakura!"

"Then why won't you listen to me??"

"You used me to get to that bastard, Sasuke!"

_-Silence-_

Naruto massages his temples with his fingertips, sliding down into the seat beside the door as he closes his eyes with a frown and a deep crease in his brow. He had a massive headache, no doubt from the shouting match between him and Sakura that was far from being over by the expression on Sakura's face. It was little wonder though, with his mind and heart having run a frenzy of different emotions over the past several hours- from sadness to rage and to everything else in between.

Sakura is first to break the silence with a heavy sigh, "Since you brought him up," she begins, her voice slow and calm at first but rises as she continues on with her statement, "I think it only necessary to tell you that _he's_ _engaged to Hinata_!"

The blonde shoots up from his sitting position, his face twisting into an intense scowl, "I don't believe you..." he growls, his eyes smoldering with rage as his fists begin to tremble at his sides.

"You don't have to believe me if you don't want to, but you can ask anyone else in town and they'll tell you the same thing."

Naruto raises a hand to the door handle and grips it firmly, his knuckles growing white from how tightly he holds onto it. He lifts his gaze from cement flooring to Sakura's eyes, holding eye contact until she turns away from the intensity of his stare.

"I feel it best for you to leave now, Sakura." he says coldly as he pulls on the handle, opening the door.

"Naruto, I hope you take what I said to heart and--"

"_Leave_, Sakura!!"

The pink haired woman jumps, but quickly regains her composure as she exits the storage room. He waits for the chime of the bells above the front entrance door before collapsing back into his seat. Within the last few minutes of his confrontation with Sakura, his headache increased by what feels to him like tenfold.

He sighs and cradles his pounding head in his hands, his ex being the least of his troubles now. He's accomplished the goal he set for himself the night before and no amount of lies from Sakura could take that victory away from him. Finding closure with Sakura-- even though the way he went about doing it was abit unorthodox-- was the highlight of his day, no matter the number of questions it raised and left unanswered...


	5. Chapter 5

Title: _Dress of White_

Chapter Five: _Breaking News_

Rating: Teen (Mild language)

Timeline: AU

Disclaimer: Due to unforeseen circumstances, I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Naruto slouches in his stool with his face in his hands, a pout adorning his lips. He sighs and attempts to preoccupy himself from boredom by randomly dialing in numbers on the register. As he does, he stares out into the street from the bay window in hopes that Hinata might drop by for another visit.

Only a day has passed since he last saw her, but he couldn't help to worry. Especially after the scene in the hospital between Hinata and her father--

--_That old prick! I hope he isn't working her too hard..._

The sound of a chiming bell cuts through his thoughts, startling him enough to fall out of his stool. He quickly shoots up to his feet to check the door, but instead, bangs his head on the money drawer jutting out from the register.

"Ow," Naruto moans as he clutches his head in his hands, rolling from side to side on the floor. He staggers to his feet and picks up the fallen stool beside him with a scowl. He raises it over his head as he glares down at the register with malice in his eyes. He motions to swing the wooden stool at the register, in spite of his minor head injury being of his own accord.

"Naruto! What the hell are you doing??" Jiraiya exclaims from the bathroom door. He storms down an aisle and approaches the front desk, glowering at his employer on the other side. The blonde drops the stool, allowing it to fall from his hands and onto the tiled floor with a clatter. His face reddens with embarrassment as he allows himself a nervous chuckle before rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, uh. N-nothing, really..."

Jiraiya shakes his head at the younger man and tosses his apron at him. Naruto fumbles to catch it and looks up at his boss with a questioning gaze. His lips part to comment on Jiraiya's navy blue suit and striped tie; however, the older man cuts him off, seeming to already know what the blonde's next words.

"I'm on my way to a meeting with that publishing company I told you about. I won't be back for awhile, so don't wait up."

Naruto nods and hangs up the apron of his superior. Turning back around to face the older man, he grins broadly. "Does this mean I get to leave for lunch early then?"

Jiraiya sighs and covers his face with a rough hand. With his patience wearing thin, he shakes his head and replies with a grunt, "Fine! Do what you want! Just remember to lock up when you leave!"

The blonde pumps his fists into the air and tears off his apron before hoping over the counter to retrieve the store keys from storage room in the back. He heads over to the desk of his superior on the far back side of the storage room. Removing the keys off the hook on the wall, he notices this morning's newspaper amongst the piles of paperwork and bills scattered across the desktop.

_Damn Pervy Sage. I can't believe he forgot about my comics again! This is the second time this week! _The blonde thinks to himself as he pulls the newspaper out from underneath a pile of mail. While doing this, a sheet of ivory colored paper flutters to the floor. Noticing it, Naruto tucks the newspaper under his arm and picks it up.

_Maybe this's my paycheck. Pervy Sage always plays games like that on payday..._

Naruto turns the paper over to the printed side to find that this definitely isn't his paycheck or anything close to it. Instead, it is something much worse. He frowns and in his anger, crushes the sheet of paper in a tightly wound fist as he storms back to the front of the store.

"Pervy Sage! You can't be fucking serious about this! Why the hell didn't you tell me that--"

Before the blonde could finish his fiery outcry, he realizes his words were falling on deaf ears. Jiraiya's tall, broad figure couldn't be found anywhere in sight.

Frustrated, Naruto sighs and slaps the offensive slip of paper onto the counter. With this new found piece of information taking over his thoughts, his appetite suddenly withers away and Ichiraku's becomes the last place he wants to be.

---

Jiraiya enters the lobby of the corporate building and lowers his tired body into an open seat, taking in a deep breath of air heavily weighted with the lingering scent of common household cleaning solutions and flowery perfume.

Quite some time passes by before Jiraiya feels a cool droplet of sweat trickle down the side of his face, but he quickly sweeps it away with his the back of his sleeve. He glances down at his shaky hands, his knuckles whitening from the tightness of his hold on his portfolio.

He tries everything to ease his worrisome mind. Even a peek at the voluptuous blonde behind the reception desk wasn't enough to break him from his anxiety.

He sighs, leaning back into his seat as he massages his temples with his fingertips. His distress causing his head to pound like a drum. He closes his eyes against the pain, willing it away to the best of his ability. However, his concentration breaks at the sound of Southern drawl.

"Hey, 'r you... Jiriya?"

Lifting his head, he meets the receptionist's dark eyes with his own puzzled gaze. He takes a moment to survey the lobby for anyone she could be mistaken him for, before he risks embarrassing himself in front of a potential date.

"Uh," Jiraiya's voice quakes and he clears his throat before continuing, "are you talk to me?"

The blonde rolls her eyes and hangs up the telephone she was holding to her ear before scoffing in reply, "It's not like I'm talkin' to da wall. You Jiriya or not?"

"_Jiraiya_?" the man corrects.

"Yeah, wha'eva. You're wanted in da conference room. Third floor and it'll be da last door on your right." the woman snorts as she resumes her primping.

With a sigh, Jiraiya rises from his seat and makes his way to the double doors beside the reception desk, "Well, here goes nothing."

---

A bell chimes as Jiraiya enters through the front door of the store with his tie hanging loosely around his neck and his jacket draping over his shoulder. The relaxed fit of his clothing completely counteracting his uptight attitude. The scowl on his face hardens when he finds his place of business to be empty. This being something he definitely didn't want to see at the moment, especially considering that this might end up being the future of his store.

Abandoned...

_Damn kid forgot to lock up again_, the man silently snarls, his anger slowly climbing by the minute. The overwhelming amount of alcohol he had consumed during the drive didn't seem to help soothe the situation any.

His anger getting the best of him, Jiraiya flings his portfolio at the counter, but it sails over it's intended target and slams into the wall behind it. The raucous caused by the loud _thud _lures the blonde out of the storage room to find his superior/guardian slouching over the counter with a bottle of sake trapped in a tightly wound fist, "What the hell are you doing?"

Jiraiya remains silent with his head down against the counter top. Naruto repeats his question, his voice betraying his frustration more than words ever could.

The older man grunts incoherently into his sleeve in response and raises his bloodshot eyes to those of his employee. Naruto narrows his steely eyes into a glare, the intensity of his stare reaching the man's very soul. Jiraiya grimaces and gulps down more of his sake, his one and only vice.

Naruto snatches the caramel colored bottle from the man's grasp and smashes it against the counter before the older man could even react. Shards of glass sprawl across the floor as the sake diffuses along the surface of the counter top. Jiraiya's lips purse and his jaw clenches.

"--the fuck's wrong with you?"

Shoving the crumpled sheet of paper he had in his pocket into his employer's chest, Naruto snaps, "Your bullshit is my problem, Jiraiya! Why the hell didn't you tell me about this??"

The older man's attention focuses on the wrinkled mass pressed into his chest. He unfolds it as he quickly scans over the small, typed print. Sighing, he curls it in his fist and frowns. He tosses the wilted sheet of paper onto the counter, allowing it to soak in the spilled sake as he watches. He couldn't bring himself to look into the blonde's eyes.

"This doesn't have anything to do with you, Kid..."

"This has _everything_ to do with me--" Naruto's furious words are cut off when Jiraiya pushes past him and lumbers into the storage room.

The blonde follows angrily behind him, much to Jiraiya's displeasure. The older man, drops into the chair at his desk and covers his face with a heavy hand. The alcohol in his system quickly wearing off, leaving him with a throbbing headache and a bitter taste in his mouth. He grimaces and shakes his head.

"What the hell do you want me to do about it?? Since business is so slow, I don't have money to pay to keep this place up and running," Jiraiya sighs heavily and pinches the bridge of his nose, "It was only a-matter-of-time until this happened, Naruto..."

Naruto frowns and tugs at the back of the chair to meet eyes with his guardian as he barks in reply, "I want you to actually give-a-damn about the future of this store! If we try hard enough, we can make this work! You just have to be willing to try!"

Shaking his head, Jiraiya grimaces and raises his hard, stern gaze to the blonde's again. The soul-striking stare of Naruto's no longer having an effect on him.

"Cut the shit, Naruto. You only care about this because you'll wind up on the street again when this store goes under."

Naruto freezes and the fury in his eyes quickly dissipates, which is replaced with remorse. The tightly clenched fists at his sides relax as he lowers his head. All of his pent up anger dispels from his body in the course of several slow, shuddering breaths. His lips thin into line across his face as he hesitates to lift his head up. Jiraiya watches the blonde struggle underneath the weight of his statement with a tinge of guilt tugging at his heart.

_Silence..._

With this deafening silence becoming unbearable, Jiraiya sighs and combs his fingers through his white mane of hair as he thinks of something to say. After awhile, he clears his throat and attempts an apology. Not one for apologizes, his attempt proves futile.

"Hey, ah... Naruto, I didn't mean that--"

"Save it. Regardless of what you say, I'm not going to let this happen."

Naruto storms out of the building, slamming the door shut behind him with the shriek of the bell signaling his departure. This leaves Jiraiya to stew over the happenings of the day like, the denial of his book for instance. Now, he might have burned one of the only bridges he had left leading out of his bitter self-conscious.

Over the span of the next few days, the relationship between the two men becomes strained and virtually nonexistent. Naruto and Jiraiya sparely talk and can barely even stand to be in the same room together. When Naruto isn't at work, he spends most of his time making copies of flyers advertising Sannin's Grocers. He posts these advertisements all over town and although business at the shop did increase, it wouldn't be enough to keep Sannin Grocers from being shut down before the end of the month.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: _Dress of White_

Chapter Six: _Offering_

Rating: Teen (Mild language)

Timeline: AU

Disclaimer: Due to unforeseen circumstances, I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Standing in front of the full-length mirror at her bedside, Hinata examines her appearance. She smooths the ruffles adorning the front of her blouse with her hands as she scans over the rest of her reflection.

Black pinstripe pencil shirt.

Pointy toe metallic heels.

She even became alittle more adventurous with her make-up than usual.

With a heavy sigh, her gaze lifts to meet the eyes of the unfamiliar woman, her radiant confidence causing a glare against the glass. She has never attempted a look like this before. Her usual attire had more of a conservative, girl-next-door flare, so it was a mystery to her as to why she had picked these up the other day. She examines her figure in her reflection, the clothing clinging her body showing off more of her curves than she felt comfortable with.

Hyuuga Crest, the company her family owns, holds a reputation of having big business, but there isn't anyone there she has to impress-- like a new client. She never felt a need to... except for once, but that was long ago... And for much different circumstances...

Frowning, Hinata pulls her silky, dark hair into a tight bun as she kicks off her shoes. She pads across the carpeted floors into the large, walk-in closet for her trusty sandals and throws on a blazer.

Approaching the mirror again, she examines her reflection.

"Just right,"

Leaving the bedroom, she glides down the few steps outside the double door entryway and cuts through the living room, immaculately furnished in stark black and white decor. The splashes of lavender softening the contrast between them.

She passes through the elegantly crafted archway on the other side to the narrow entry hall. As if out of habit, she reaches out for the fine crystal bowl on the side table but stops herself. Hinata sighs and shakes her head, realizing her keys are missing, along with her car. It is of no loss to her, however; she rarely drives the damned thing anyway. She prefers a brisk walk to work any day.

---

A red light interrupts her walk to work. She attempts to press the _Walk_ button on the side of the streetlight, but her attention shifts to the brightly colored flyers clinging to the pole. She pulls one off and reads over the large, typed print across the top of the page. It reads, _Sannin Grocers_.

The name of the store arousing an air of familiarity within the young woman, she searches the advertisement for an address. Hinata turns away from the busy street she meant to cross and instead, continues forward down the street-- two, three more blocks before coming to a stop in front of the small business.

She frowns, her eyes displaying her disappointment to the dead stillness of the building. Hinata glances up at the sunbleached sign hanging above the glass door. The once crimson letters, now fading to a pale pink.

Approaching the bay window, Hinata peers inside to steal a peek at the blonde. Her cheeks tint pink and her heart begins to flutter as her gaze rests upon the tall, lean frame of Naruto Uzumaki. She quickly pulls away from the window, cursing her nerves and trying desperately to convince herself that this burning sensation tearing through her body, trembling hands, and weak knees are just reactions from the emotions she built up in the past and that--

_--this couldn't be the way that I feel about him now, could it??_

Hinata presses her face into the window again, her eyes falling upon the blonde again almost instinctively. He sits behind the register with his head in his hands and a slight slouch in his posture. Although she can't clearly see his expression because of the distance separating them, something obviously had the blonde in a bitter mood.

Rapping at the window, Hinata waits for Naruto to turn her way. After a moment, he lifts his head and gazes at her through the foggy window. A small smile tugs at the corners of his lips at the sight of her. He slides down from his stool and joins the woman outside the store.

Gazing at the blonde up close, Hinata mentally retracts her earlier statement of the blonde's _bitter _mood. The word couldn't possibly describe this. The only thing Hinata can bring herself to think is:

_He's a train-wreck!!_

A train-wreck. A term used lightly with the blonde's case, seeing how disheveled he appeared on a regular basis. It is a natural look for the blonde-- his spiky, unkempt hair falling every-which-way around his face, his worn sneakers, faded jeans, and baggy shirts adding emphasis to the previous statement. Of course, Naruto has never been one to make much of an effort when it comes to his appearance. He never really had to, but it worked for him for the most part...

However, in today's case, it didn't...

His eyes are somewhat bloodshot with dark circles surrounding them, almost as if he hadn't slept in days. He looked vulnerable. Dejected. Lost.

"N-naruto," Hinata begins, her voice small and tentative, "you don't seem to look too well. Is everything alright?"

The young man makes his best attempt to smile, but can't bring himself to do it. He lowers his head and pushes his hair up from his forehead, his breathing noticeably deeper than usual. Naruto returns his gaze to Hinata, his eyes darkening with an emotion she can't pinpoint. He remains silent.

Hinata worriedly searches his face for any kind of answer-- even a sign that her words are registering inside his mind. Finding nothing, she nibbles at her lower lip and fiddles with the flyer still present in her grasp. She glances down at the flyer, then back up at him. Smiling sweetly, she raises the flyer up for him to see.

"I found this... D-did you make it?"

"Yeah. Business here hasn't been too good lately, so I made the flyers to get the name out on the streets."

Hinata's smile falls away and she lowers her head again, "I'm sorry... I-I didn't know..."

"It's alright. This isn't your fault, Hinata." Naruto consoles, one corner of his mouth tipping upwards into a warm, meaningful smile. His first one since he found out the destined fate of Sannin's and his predicted downfall. The blonde shoves his hands into his pockets and their conversation enters another void. His eyes remain fixed upon Hinata, the look in her eyes behind her curtain of hair expressing her deep concern for him. He considers telling Hinata about the letter he found on Jiraiya's desk, but feels it better to keep it to himself.

_Best not to worry her more than I already have..._

"Naruto," Hinata pauses, trying her best to think of something to say to cheer the gloomy blonde up, "w-why don't you come with me? That is, if you aren't d-doing anything right now..."

Hinata hesitantly raises her head up to the blonde to view his expression, but he is looking into the store through the bay window as if considering the offer. Pulling a hand out of his pocket and repositioning it behind his head, he turns back to face the dark-haired woman.

"Sure. I wasn't really doing anything over my lunch break anyway." Naruto agrees, an aloofness apparent in his voice-- the last thing Hinata wants to hear. This, coming from the Uzumaki, is completely out of character. The distant, detached look in his eyes and the sheer lack of enthusiasm in his voice turn him into a totally different person-- like someone she knew entirely all too well as a-matter-of-fact.

She sighs and glances down at her watch, her eyes widen suddenly and quickly fly upwards to meet the pools of blue belonging to Naruto, "W-we better get going! I'll be late if we don't h-hurry!"

"Let me hang up my apron and I'll drive you wherever you need to go." Naruto offers as he unties the knot holding the apron up on his body. Once he relieves himself of the apron, he opens the front door and tosses it onto the counter. The sound of the apron gently floating on top of the counter causing a ripple in the ungodly silence controlling the building.

Turning away from the door, Naruto grips Hinata's hand and begins leading her around to the other side of the store to the employee parking lot. The woman glances back at the front door before it disappears from her sight as they turn the corner. "W-wasn't the shop empty? Don't you t-think you should lock it up first? I'd hate for you to get in t-trouble with your boss, Naruto."

The blonde's muscles tense at the mention of Jiraiya. With eyes darkening from his anger and a scowl quickly revealing itself upon his face, Naruto begins to walk faster. He didn't response to the timid woman's questions until they reach his car. His steely gaze falls upon the back entrance of Sannin Grocers and he grunts in disgust.

"It's not like the bastard actually cares..."

---

Naruto parks his Mustang in Hinata's designated spot at the front entrance of Hyuuga Crest. Upon seeing the sheer size of the building, all of the blonde's past disgruntlements are quickly overcome with awe. The glare of the afternoon sun bouncing off the hundreds of massive windows covering all four sides of the building nearly blind him. He blinks away the white spots obstructing his vision and turns toward Hinata, who is already standing at the revolving door with an impatient look in her eyes. Naruto steals another glance up at the building before locking his vehicle and rushing inside after the woman.

Once they pass through the lobby and enter the second level of Hyuuga Crest, employees begin streaming in from all directions, stopping whatever work they had to greet the company owner's daughter. While Hinata returns their greetings and engages in some brisk small-talk, Naruto takes in his new, expensive-looking surroundings.

Suddenly, Hinata stops in front of the elevator at the back of the room, causing the blonde to bump into her. With his composure restored, Naruto chuckles and rubs the back of his neck as he scans over the bustling workers. "This place is amazing, Hinata!! I've never seen anything like it!"

The elevator chimes and the doors open as Hinata steps inside with a smile adorning her lips, "I-if you want, I could see into getting you a job here."

Naruto flinches at the idea of Sannin Grocers-- a place where he spent a majority of his time and even helped build-- shutting down. The transition between cashier and advertiser would be a huge leap and not to mention the massive amount of responsibility that came along with it, are only part of the reasons why Naruto disproves of the suggestion.

"I just don't think that I'm ready to give up on the store yet..." Naruto sighs as he steps into the elevator, the doors closing behind him. Hinata presses the button for the eighth floor and gazes up at the blonde, her eyes displaying her obvious confusion.

"What do you mean, N-naruto? What happened to Sannin Grocers?"

Naruto shakes his head and leans his back up against the elevator wall with his arms crossing over his chest, "It's not what happened, it's what's going to happen if I can't raise the amount of customers before the end of the month..."

The woman's eyes widen and she remains silent for a moment. Lowering her head to the button display on the wall before her, she digs deep into her mind to find something to say-- anything she can think of to comfort the blonde. Instead, the only thing she can manage to squeak is, _I'm sorry_.

"Hinata," Naruto begins, his voice cracking slightly, "the store is going to be shut down--"

The elevator doors open revealing a woman with buns on either side of her head and a stack of files under her arm. She instinctively starts her monologue of reminders and the day's schedule, until she sees Naruto, at which point she stops mid-sentence and glares intensely at the blonde.

"What is _he_ doing here??"

Naruto's expression hardens as he turns toward the brunette. He readies himself to unleash a rather venomous comeback, but freezes when Hinata take ahold of his wrist.

"Ten-Ten, can we talk about this later?" the Hyuuga Crest heiress asks hurriedly, pushing past her assistant to get to her office at the end of the hall. With disdain in her eyes, Ten-Ten watches their figures disappear through the glass double doors leading into Hinata's office.

Hinata sinks into the large, leather armchair behind the black desk occupying most of the space within the room. She cradles her face in her hands and shakes her head slowly. The light emitting from the laptop in front of her reflects off her skin, giving her exposed flesh a tint of pale blue.

Naruto lowers himself into one of the two chairs in front of the desk and watches the woman's poorly concealed abstract gaze--

_I have to do something..._

Besides Hinata's quick and labored breaths, the room is silent. She dares a glance in the blonde's direction and they immediately lock eyes. In that instance, Hinata catches a glimpse of what appeared to be desperation. She closes her eyes tightly and his figure fades into a black abyss--

_...anything... I can to..._

Naruto sits on the edge of his seat, Hinata's quivering lips convincing him that she wants to speak. He waits, looking for all the world in Hinata's predicted words like an abused, abandoned puppy. Hinata fidgets, feeling his stare burrow holes through her--

_... to save him..._

Clearing his throat, Naruto lowers his gaze to the steaming hot cup of tea sitting beside the laptop, giving into the silence. Wringing his hands together, he laments, "I'm at the end of my rope, Hinata. I just don't know..."

His voice dissolves into the air, the sound no longer audible. He continues to stare down at the cup of tea on Hinata's desk until he hears a dull _thump_.

Hinata is on her feet now, her expression dour. She leans forward against her hands on the desk and scolds, her voice still cordial nonetheless, "You're losing hope and giving in, and that isn't something the Naruto I know would do!"

Naruto gazes up at her in awe; eyes wide and mouth agape. Never before has Hinata shown this sort of confidence. She seems to stand taller, her voice smooth and steady. It almost seems as if she had just transformed into a different person right before his eyes.

Naruto narrows his eyes, Hinata's words rekindling the flame of determination in his heart. He rises to his feet with a quick, fluid motion. "You're right, Hinata! I already have a plan worked out, but I'll need your help for it to work."

The woman blushes and sinks back into her chair, her timid nature revealing itself once again.

"Uh, w-what's the plan?"

Naruto grins broadly, "It's the same as the old plan, just set to a larger scale."

Pulling out the Sannin's Grocers flyer she stashed away in her pocket, Hinata's lips curve up into a smile. "I-I'll get to work on it as soon as I can."

Just then, the office doors fly open with Ten-Ten in the doorway. "Ms. Hyuuga, your four o'clock is in the lobby, so your guest is going to have to leave."

Hinata's gaze dances between Ten-Ten and Naruto before she says, "N-naruto, would you like to meet up afterwards for lunch. I-It'll give us a chance to discuss--"

Ten-Ten frowns and approaches Naruto, gripping the back of the chair he occupies. "Might I remind you, Ms. Hyuuga, that this meeting is with a _very_ important client??"

Naruto rises from his chair and checks his watch as he rubs the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, but I have to go," Naruto replies as if Ten-Ten's not-so-subtle cue to leave never hit the air, "I need to head back to the store. Lunch break's almost over."

Ten-Ten smiles triumphantly. Being able to kick the blonde out on his ass would be her only revenge.

Hinata's lips part as she attempts to speak again, but abruptly stops when Ten-Ten shoves him out into the hall. Hinata slumps into her chair as Ten-Ten turns to her, the stern look in the brunette's eyes melting into concern. "Hinata, what are you doing with Naruto?? I thought you said you were over him. Haven't you stopped to think what--"

"Ten-Ten," Hinata's posture straightens and her expression hardens, "I'm helping a friend of mine who is in need of assistance. There is no crime in that, so leave _him_ out of this."

With a defeated sigh, Ten-Ten exits her superior's office to find Naruto perched on one side of her desk. The blonde flinches at the sight of the brunette's wrathful gaze, the irritation in her eyes seeming to grow with each step. Naruto slides off the desktop with his arms out in front of him, as if defending himself against some kind of attack.

"Listen, Ten-Ten. I know that you're still kinda pissed about what happened at the Curry of Life and--"

The brown-haired woman interrupts him by pounding her fist on the desk. After a moment, she stands up straight and sighs. Pushing back her bangs, Naruto notes that her expression is completely muted of all emotion.

"I'm sure you can find the exit on your own, Naruto." she says, venom and something else lacing her words as she takes a seat at her desk. Naruto sighs and turns to leave, his culpability worse now than it had been when he arrived. He boards the elevator at the end of the hall and presses the button for the lobby.

Just before the sliding doors close completely, something flies in through the gap-- like a bullet-- and nails Naruto in the forehead. He winces and rubs the place of impact. He glances down at his hand to find his fingertips blackened with ink. He scans the floor of the elevator for the object and his eyes catch sight of a black permanent marker. He picks it up and rolls it over in his hands, noticing the pink label across the side reading:

_Property of Ten-Ten._

_---_

Back at Sannin's, Naruto finds Jiraiya standing on the ramp leading to the back entrance of the store with an ever-present bottle of sake in his hand. Naruto glares up into the hazy, dark eyes of the man towering over him and grunts. Jiraiya lowers his gaze to the blonde, his mind too busy drowning in the alcohol he chugged to fully register Naruto's presence. He lifts his gaze back to the distant horizon and snorts a chuckle.

"Seems that I can't ever picture you with a smile anymore..." Jiraiya slurs, parting his lips to allow another gulp of sake to slither down his throat.

Naruto raises an eyebrow, "What the hell is that supposed to mean, Old Man?" he questions as he crosses his arms over his lean chest. The blonde waits a moment as Jiraiya reluctantly pulls away from his bottle, his eyes never leaving his view of the horizon.

"Yer too busy bein' an ass. That's what I'm sayin'."

"Me?? I'm not the one ruining everything for not only yourself, but for me too!! You're the selfish asshole around here, Jiraiya!!" Naruto snaps, his hands gripping the steel bars of the railing so hard that his knuckle whiten.

Jiraiya sighs and lowers his eyes to his shoes, closing his eyes against the rays of the sun above him. Naruto's heavy breathing gradually slows to an even pace as he steps away from the railing, combing his fingers through his golden locks. "Look," he huffs, "I have a plan to save the store and I want you to hear me out on it. I'm getting Hinata to help with this and I just really think that--"

"No," Jiraiya interjects, his voice resembling thunder.

"What do you mean?? We have a chance to fix this whole mess and you're turning it down??"

"That's what I said, Naruto!" Jiraiya roars, his eyes quickly narrowing into a steely scowl.

"Why, Jiraiya?? Give me a reason as to why you're so determined to throw all of this away!!" Naruto retaliates as he gestures towards the store with his hand. The older man pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head, his skull pounding with frustration.

"I spent too much of my time and energy on this place and it took away from my goal! My writin' is sufferin' cuz'a this place!" Jiraiya explains, his voice slowly rising into a yell.

Naruto snorts, "Then let me take over! I'd do a better job than you ever did!!"

"You can barely take carra yerself! How am I supposed'ta trust you with somethin' like this??"

Naruto opens his mouth to snap back a response, but his words get caught in his throat, which as grown suddenly parched. He frowns and turns his gaze towards his car, unwilling to look the older man in the eyes any longer.

"I'm clocking out for the day."

With this, Naruto storms over to his car and drives away with no certain destination in mind.

---

He eventually ends up in the Hyuuga Crest parking lot again, thinking he'd wait for Hinata to tell her the bad news. He shuts off the engine and sits in the drivers' seat for a moment with tension building in his chest until it becomes unbearable. He hurriedly escapes for the small confines of the Mustang and lays on the hood, staring up into the light wisps of clouds speckling the skies above. The sight mesmerizes the blonde and he promptly looses track of time.

An hour quickly passes when his trance is broken by the thunderous beating of wings. His eyes open to a swarm of pigeons flying overhead. He sits up and sweeps his hand over his face, his eyes readjusting to the sunlight beaming down upon him.

"N-naruto? What are you doing here?" asks a small, timid voice.

The blonde blinks away the white haze shrouding his vision to find Hinata leaning against the side of the building. Her eyes, even from a distance, visibly red and puffy. Naruto slides off the hood of his car and links his hands behind his head. He winces at the pulling sensation in his heart seeing her this way caused, but he quickly shrugs the feeling off.

_Maybe I'll tell her later. Right now my main goal is to cheer Hinata up, _Naruto thinks, putting on his best face for the troubled woman. A crooked half smile adorns his lips as he chuckles softly.

"How does a bowl of ramen sound to you?"


End file.
